


Right of First Refusal

by transportive



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: First Meetings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2018-01-19 15:16:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1474486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transportive/pseuds/transportive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron is tired of Harvey making trouble for all the secretaries at the DA's office. Why not make Harvey take care of the hiring process?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right of First Refusal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nayanroo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nayanroo/gifts).



> Written in the middle of season two.

While beginning his work at the DA's office, Harvey Specter went through a number of assistants. Not that they were _his_ assistants, exactly, but the ones that worked in the office would always have to meet his expectations as well as Cameron Dennis' and the other lawyers, so it became a job more and more difficult to fill. His standards might have been high, but he wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect when the secretary would have his-or-her finger on the pulse of work that meant the difference between criminals being incarcerated or walking free. A single document missed, a single folder misfiled, could be life or death for innocent people. In many cases that wasn't even exaggeration.

As soon as he was put in charge of the interview process, however, he couldn't help but protest and seriously consider taking everything he had said about work ethic back (sometimes dignity almost trumped integrity).

"If you're going to give everyone who comes in here a hard time," Dennis had explained, "We might as well make you do it _before_ we pay to train them."

Apparently bargaining his way out of the tedious process didn't work and so now he found himself conducting interview after interview with sub-par potential secretaries. That was, of course, until a red headed woman made herself at home in the court room.

He was sure he was going to like her when she came in saying "so that last candidate was definitely struggling with his phone. And I can tell you the typing speed of at least three others that have come in and out."

Gossipy but observant, that could be useful. Provided she wasn't inclined to professional gossip-- some things were better kept quiet when working in a court of law.

The interview itself went well. Her qualifications were impressive, her attitude was-- well, not appropriate, _per se _, but she seemed to be serious when it was necessary. And she wasn't as unfortunate as most of the people he'd talked to that day. By and large, he was feeling better about her than anyone else thus far, when it came time to conclude.__

__"One last thing, Donna," he said evenly and watching her expression closely. "We maintain a high standard of work ethics here. Even one mistake and you're gone. We're not going to tolerate anything less than perfection. It might sound tough, but you have to understand how important the work we do here is. And I--"_ _

__"What you're saying is you're a stick in the mud, got it."_ _

__Harvey hadn't been sold on Donna for the job yet and now he _definitely_ wasn't. He leaned forward heavily, one hand inching toward the intercom. "Excuse me?" he said, voice dangerously low._ _

__Not even his _boss_ spoke to him like that, and some secretary he barely knew who was trying to get hired by him was going to talk to him like that and think she could get away with it? Not on his life._ _

__He doubted whatever lame cover up she came up with would save her interview, and his hand was poised to get the next candidates sent in so she could go home._ _

__"You heard me." He sat back somewhat. "You're an uptight upstart lawyer who holds himself and everyone around him to extremely high standards. You take your job extremely seriously and everyone else should take theirs-- and you-- seriously, too. So: stick in the mud. This really shouldn't be news to you."_ _

__He sat back a little further as he watched her. "I don't know if your last boss let you talk to him like that, but that's not the kind of attitude we want here."_ _

__She bent forward like she was going to confess something to him. "Listen, if you're going to put 'professional integrity' in my contract then I'd like to keep 'personal integrity,' too. I think it's valuable for me to tell you everything on my mind, call it exactly like I see it, and I won't make excuses for you or myself. Besides," she added with a dramatized flinch and her hand curled in, like she was empathizing with his imagined pain. "Technically you're not my boss."_ _

__He had to admit (albeit privately) to being kind of impressed. Someone who was frank with everyone in the office could be an asset. She wouldn't be covering anyone's ass and the slightest slip up from _anyone_ would be noted._ _

__"Anything else you want to tell me to convince me to not kick you out right now?"_ _

__"Absolutely." And she leaned forward a little more, both hands on the table now and sliding towards him. She had him curious, though he hated to realize it. She didn't speak until she was closer. "That hair? So not a good look on you."_ _

__"I'm a natural blonde."_ _

__"Nothing about that hair is natural."_ _

__He frowned as she shook her head gravely, like she was telling him some important fact. He seemed to consider for a long moment though, before he bent over to press the intercom's button._ _

__She had a smart mouth and stood her ground against him. That counted for a lot, in his mind._ _

__"So you'll be typing up your own contract. Consider it a test."_ _

__"Aye aye, captain."_ _

__He barely kept the smile out of his voice when he called on the receptionist. "Tell everyone else to go home and tell Cameron that I think we've found our new assistant."_ _


End file.
